


Baby Fever

by ScatteredStarlight (Shaderose)



Series: Irondad Cliche Bingo [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Adoption, Babies, Baby Harley Keener, Baby Peter Parker, Baby Peter prompt, Gen, Harley Keener & Peter Parker are Siblings, Harley Keener & Peter Parker are Twins, Irondad Bingo 2019, Irondad Cliche Bingo, Paternal Instinct, Sick Peter Parker, Theyre bebes, Tony Stark Acting as Harley Keener's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark is Good With Kids, Tony Stark is a mess, Twins, We stan (1) irondad, hes fine tho, mentioned briefly - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:41:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22166566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaderose/pseuds/ScatteredStarlight
Summary: Tony gets stressed from a meeting, goes to a hospital to rock some babies, and ends up adopting a set of twins.
Relationships: Harley Keener & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Harley Keener & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Irondad Cliche Bingo [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1595542
Comments: 42
Kudos: 548





	Baby Fever

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't all that great, my motivations been pretty lacking lately, but I'm tired of rereading it over and over again so I decided to post it anyways!
> 
> Also, this is the first square (the "Baby Peter" square) on the Irondad Cliche Bingo, posting from irondadbingo on tumblr! I'm going to try my hardest to complete all of it, but I make no promises lol
> 
> Also, I realised after a wrote this that baby Peter is barely in it, it's mostly about baby Harley but shhhhh it's fine don't worry about it ;P
> 
> Either way, I hope you enjoy! :)

Tony sighs long and low, pushing up the glasses that have slowly slipped down his nose. It has been- Tony checks the clock illuminated in the corner of the lense- 3 hours since this meeting had begun, and two and a half hours since he's been completely done with these peoples bullshit. Stark Industries was trying to branch out and link with newer businesses, to try and "diversify the field" and "create new opportunities" and all that stuff that Pepper had told him the other night that he may or may not have ignored. Said woman was also usually the one that had to deal with these types of meetings, as she now knew much more about the companies stocks and internal functions than Tony does, her being CEO and all, but she taking a much deserved week long vacation in Hawaii at the moment, and so deed fell back on to him.

He's definitely gonna give her more credit for all of this in the future, because _man_ , these meetings _suck_. He doesn't know how she can go through multiple of these in a day, much less multiple in a _week_ , without going insane. She was definitely getting some flowers and a handwritten thank you card when she gets back, a dinner or two and a few pieces of jewelry as well, just as a thank you for putting up with all of this (for putting up with _him_ ) and for making sure he never has to deal with this bullshit ever again.

Thankfully, the meeting doesn't go on for too much longer. They come to an agreement, shake hands, and Tony leaves the board room with two fingers pressed to his temple and a pressure building behind his eyes. He had planned to go down to his lab after the meeting, to play and tinker with his toys like he usually does when he's stressed out, but today he's feeling too restless, too annoyed. He needs a quiet, calming environment, not one full of metal and blaring music.

He checks the time again, seeing that it's 8:36pm, and asks FRIDAY to bring up his schedule. When the list appears right in front of his eyes, and he sees that the rest of the night is clear, he let's a grin slip on to his lips. Perfect. He knows exactly where he's spending his night.

He reaches his penthouse, changes into a soft clean hoodie and some sweatpants, (plain, casual, nothing that screams 'Tony Stark'), before puts his phone on to Do Not Disturb and leaving the tower to catch a cab. Normally he'd have Happy or one of his other bodyguards drive him around in a limo, or he'd drive himself in one of his fancy, flashy cars. But not today, not for this.

You see, Tony was going to a hospital. In Queens. To hold some babies. Or rock them, soothe them, whatever the baby (and the nurses on staff) needed him to do. And he didnt exactly want anyone to know about it. Not because he cared about the media's opinion (cause he really, really doesn't give two shits what they think), or because he thought that his very few friends would judge him for it. No, he just wanted to keep this little hobby of his to himself. It was unsurprisingly difficult to relax with his day job as Tony Stark, owner of Stark Industries, so occasionally, he just needed a place where he could go to escape it all. A place to go with no snobby businessmen, no people breathing down his neck at all moments of his day, and no expectations. A place where he didnt have to put on his charming, arrogant front, and could just be... himself for once.

He quickly pays for the cab ride over, thankful that the cabbie hadn't recognized him, and makes his way into the somewhat familiar building. He signs in with the receptionist easily, and makes his way to the maternity ward; more specifically, to the baby room. He stops by the washroom to wash his hands throughly, knocks twice on the chipping wooden door and opens it as quietly as possible.

A nurse, who was checking on one of the many babies in the room, glances up at him, and her eyes instantly warm with recognition, crinkling on the sides, a smile growing on her face. "Back again, Mr. Stark?"

He shrugs, fainting nonchalance even as his face warms a little. He may or may not have already came here earlier in the week, and he may or may not have seen this same nurse here quite a few times over the past month or so. "Oh, yes, of course. Gotta keep giving SI that good publicity, keep it in the clear, you know how it is, Marie."

"Uh huh," she raises an eyebrow at him, a twinkle of mirth in her eyes, clearly not buying into his excuse, but letting it go anyways. She places her attention back on to her fussy little patient, who seems to keep squirming and whining, trying to get away from the cold metal of the stethoscope that she has placed on his chest. She places plugs of the tool back into her ears and waves him off. "Well, you know the drill."

And he did. He grabs a face mask from the boxes placed beside the door, putting it on, and washes his hands one last time, to ensure he's as sterilized as he possibly can be before he makes his way around the room, staring at all of the baby faces surrounding him, some calm, some goofy, some smooched by tiny fists in their sleep. Its _peaceful_ , and Tony can instantly feel his pulsating migraine slipping away as he makes it around the room, finding a struggling little girl, her face scrunched up and starting to whimper as scooping her up. He shushes her gently, rocking his arms back and forth in a soothing motion as he starts to walk around the room again, eyes focused on her, only flicking away for a second to glance at the name tag placed in front of her crib.

"Hey there Delilah," she whimpers again, pressing her fist into her check. "Yeah, I know, you're probably already sick of hearing that. Blame your parents, they're the ones that named you after a one hit wonder. Who even sung that, the Plain T-Shirts or something?" She shifts around in his arms, her face evening out slightly, fist still pressed against her face. He cant help the small twitch of his lips, the tension easing out of his body at the adorable sight. "Cheesy name or not, life's no fun, huh? Eating, pooping, sleeping all the time. God, sounds _boring_ , do you think so? I think so." The smallest twitch in her fingers, soft, even breaths, and a relaxed, smiling face is his response, and the twitch slips into a full blown smile, unlike the ones seen in pictures and the media. A small, _real_ smile, one he hasn't done since the last time hes been here. He places her back down into her plastic crib, detaching her gently from his chest, before staring down at her for a few seconds, savoring the warmth in his chest. "No fun at all." He whispers softly, before moving on, ignoring the feeling of the nurses eyes on his back.

He starts on making another round around the room, but before he can get more than a few steps, a particularly sharp cry pierces the air. His head shoots up and over to where the nurse is trying to hush and soothe the now wailing baby to seemingly no avail. He sees Marie start to get anxious, glancing around at the others, and sets into motion, rapidly grabbing the little boy and immediately beginning his gestures, rocking and whispering pleasant nonsense trying to calm him down before the other babies wake up. Tony has experienced a major meltdown before, when one screaming baby had awaken the others and the usually quiet room had become alive with screeches and wails coming from every corner. They had eventually calmed them all down but it had not been fun, and Tony never wants to deal with something like that ever again if he doesn't have to. Luckily, the little boy was settling down fairly fast, only whining now, face wet with tears and eyes squeezed shut. This one is much younger than Delilah was, only looking a few days to maybe even a day old, looking so small and fragile in Tony's arms. The baby hesitantly opens his eyes, blinking up at Tony with the bright blue eyes of a newborn, watery and full of tears, nose scrunched up and lip wobbling dangerously, and Tony feels something strange furl in his stomach, feels a rush, a desire, a _need_ to help out this poor little boy in any way shape or form that he can.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, it's alright," the boy whimpers again, struggling slightly in his grip, his arms flailing around. Tony holds his hand out to the boy, and two tiny hand immediately grabs on tightly, barely covering the knuckles on two of his fingers, and his heart melts even more. "You're alright." His voice is softer, warmer than hes ever heard it be before, and it's kind of unnerving, but he tries to shake it off, glancing up at Marie, who's still looking around with nervous eyes. "Whats his name?"

She just shakes her head, her lips tilting downwards. "He doesn't have one." At Toby quizzitive stare, she gives him a sad smile and continues. "It was a rough delivery, their mother was an older woman and there were complications. Him and his brother survived, but the mother didnt make it. The father wasn't in the picture."

His eyes snap back up to her, having trailed back down to the boy again as she spoke. "Brother?"

She looks down at the bundle in his arms with saddened eyes. "Yeah, he's a twin. Fraternal. His brother is definitely the runt though, smaller and weaker, sicker. We had to place him in another unit to keep a closer eye on him." As if he could understand what they were saying, the boy squirms and let's out another whine, looking on the verge of crying again. Tony starts bouncing his arms again, attempting to ease him off of the precipice, as Marie sighs softly. "He's been like this since."

"Ever since, huh?" He uses the hand still clutched by baby hands to wipe away the tears running down his chubby cheeks. "What's wrong with him? The brother?"

"He appears to be slightly underdeveloped compared to his brother," she nods to the still squirming, still whining bundle in his arms. "Specifically his lungs. We're hoping it'll fix itself as his body grows, but it's more likely he'll have trouble with it for the rest of his life."

There's a sharp pang in his chest at that news, but it only causes his determination, his protective (dare he say _paternal?_ ) instinct for these two boys to grow. He takes a deep breath, still staring down at the heartbreaking expression on the baby boys face, and Tony knows exactly he needs, what they _both_ need. "Can we go see him?"

"I don't know, honestly. I'll go check." Tony nods, even though the women is already halfway out the door, apparently catching on to Tony's idea.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you? Going to see your brother?" The baby hiccups, his big blue eyes staring up into Tony's caramel ones, almost as if staring into his soul, and after a minute or so, his frown turns into a big goofy smile. Tony feels himself soften even more, his chest feeling mushy and gushy, something hes definitely not used to, but isn't complaining about. "Yeah, you're definitely the older one, arent you? Already looking out for your little bro, making sure he's okay." The boy drags Tony's hand down to his mouth and starts sucking on his fingers. If it was any of the other kids, Tony wouldn't have allowed it, would've already put the kid down and moved on to the next one, but for some reason, he just cant seem to pull himself away from this one. He's drawn to the boy in a way he's never been, feeling feelings he's never felt before, and he just can't look away, can't distance himself. It's dangerous, and he shouldn't do it, he knows he shouldn't, but he can't see himself letting this little boy (or his little brother, for that matter) go. He can't see himself leaving the hospital without them, and it's insane, because Tony can't take care of himself most days, much less two babies. He can't find it in himself to care.

When the nurse walks back in, and leads him to the little brother, it only reaffirms everything Tony was already thinking. He looks down through the cage of plastic at the tiny, tiny boy, his face rounder, eyes shut tightly, his body thinner than the one in arms, and he just knows. Everything just clicks in all at once. Tony's never believed in soulmates, platonic or otherwise, but if they were to exist, he thinks it would feel exactly like this, like all of the pieces just fit into place, like everything was just _meant to be._ These boys were meant to be in his life, he just knew it. He doesn't think he could leave without them even if he tried. He blinks away the suspicious burning in his eyes, and leans forward, shifting his arms so that the baby is mostly facing the see through plastic. "Look, look who it is!"

The baby (he has _really_ got to think of a name) gurgles, pressing a tiny hand to the hard plastic surrounding his brother, staring at him almost in awe.

Tony watches for a few seconds, his mind starting to race with ways to make this work ( _'are you really going to go through with this??'_ ) before to turns to look back at Marie. "So, are they up for adoption?" He says it causally, trying to keep up an air of indifference, but the nurse sees right through it again with a light laugh.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I assume it's either that or a foster care facility-"

"No!" His eyes widen, surprised at his own outburst, at the sudden flare of protectiveness he felt at those words. Marie just raises an eyebrow at him, amusement written all over her features as he coughs, trying to ignore the blood rushing to his cheeks and attempting to salvage the situation. "Uh, when- when will you know?"

She gives him a knowing look, her eyes barely concealing her glee. "I'll go check for you now, Mr. Stark."

He doesn't even bother to deny it, just looking back at the two boys with a small "Thank you."

The one in his arms was now banging his fist against the plastic, making little coos and even more gurgling noises that sounded weirdly familiar for some strange reason. Once he connects the dots, he can't help but laugh, gently prying the boys fist away. "You blowing raspberries, baby? Hm?" He does one towards the boy, who attempts to repeat it back, but it comes out rough and sounds like an old engine roaring to life. Tony chuckles, before blinking, staring down at the boy in his arms with wide eyes. It kind of sounded like... a motorcycle. Like a... "Harley. Yeah, _that's_ what I'll call you. You like that name?" Harley basically grins back at him, chewing and sucking on the fist that Tony had pried away earlier, eyes sparkling. "Yeah, I say you do. Now we just gotta figure out a name for your brother."

He sighs, before looking up and freezing. Two big light brown, almost coffee colored eyes are staring back at him with such pure, innocent curiosity, it almost knocks him off his feet. They blink up at him for a few moments, before closing again, his face scrunching up as his mouth opens wide in a big yawn, a fist pressed against the side of his head. Harley starts babbling again, a huge smile on his face that Tony can't help but to reciprocate, and an arm reached out towards the cage. The boys start to have a seemingly incomprehensible conversation with one another, Harley continuing his babbling and his brother responding with a few strained coos of his own, and Tony heart swells at the sight, at the sounds.

It's only when Marie comes back, and tells them that it should only be a week or two before they're ready to leave that Tony really snaps back into reality. Jesus, was he really gonna do this? Was he going to adopt two twin _babies_? What does it even take to adopt a child? He'd need to do a lot of research, and prepare, and- what does he even need to take _care_ of babies? Formula, diapers, but what else? Was the penthouse a safe enough place for children? And what about his job? He cant just suddenly quit owning a company, and hes already put enough on to Peppers plate and- jeez, how was _Pepper_ going to react to this? Or Rhodey, or Happy, or _anyone?_ To them, he didnt even _like_ children, much less want any, and now hes going to be adopting _two_ of them. Was he prepared for this? Could he be a good father, a good _dad_? Or would he just turn out like this own deadbeat dad, constantly putting work above everything, _everyone_ else-

A high pitched squeal and a hand smacking into his face pulls him out of his trainwreck of a mind, two blue and two brown eyes staring at him with _admiration_ and pure unfiltered _love_ and he instantly melts again, all of his raging thoughts slipping away. He'll call Pepper later, talk to her about all of this, and try to make it all work. Hell do the research, and prepare as best he can. He'll make it all work, he'll do whatever he has to to keep these two boys in his life. Whatever it takes.

"You wanna come home with me, little buddy?" Another loud squeal, blue eyes shining with delight, and the hand on his cheek grabs onto his facial and pulls, hard, causing Tony to hiss in pain through his joyful laughter. "I'd say that's an enthusiastic yes. What about you, baby?" He glances over at Harleys brother, who's still staring at him with wide eyes, letting out a light gurgle and a wheeze. "I'll take that as a yes too, two in one, wow, how lucky am I?" He stares at the two of them, tucked away in their own little corner of a hospital in the middle of Queens, the largest smile on his face and the warmest fuzziest feeling in his heart.

It takes a few months of adjustment, a few long, long conversations with Pepper, a few weird glances from Rhodey and Happy, and a few late, late nights of staying up with screaming babies wondering if he did the right thing before he figured the whole parenting thing out. And while it's hard, and trust me, it is _hard,_ Tony can just look down at the two boys cuddled together in their big crib, Harley arm wrapped around Peter's body (he had figured out Peter's name through a name generation a few days after coming up with Harley's) and Peter hand pressed against his brothers face, big relaxed smiles on both of their faces, and he knows in his heart that he made the right choice. It may be hard, and it's only going to get harder, Tony knows, but he wouldn't trade it for the world.


End file.
